JELENA JANKOVIC: ’08 finalist and former No. 1 seems to have steadied her ship, but does the sometimes-soft Serb possess the mental toughness to win it all in the Big Apple?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Endearing Dane burst onto the scene last year as a fresh-faced finalist, but her teen years are behind her now and it’s time to play with the big girls.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Hasn’t won a non grass-court Slam since the ’01 U.S. Open. At 30, it only gets tougher. Seems like she’s signed more books than hit balls since Wimbledon.
SAM STOSUR: Roland Garros runner-up has nicely developed into a top-five force, but chiseled Aussie is struggling with an arm injury (she pulled out of Cincy and Montreal) and has never ventured beyond the second round in Flushing.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Iron Horse has missed only one of last 43 Slams, but the sun is beginning to set on the durable-but-Slamless Russian’s career. Has reached the USO final before. Can she take it one step further?
KIM CLIJSTERS: Belgian’s trophy-toddler Kodak moment was the feel-good happening of ’09, but working mom is finding out how tough a task it is to juggle a career, motherhood and injuries. However, Cincinnati and Montreal results are good signs for defending champ.
FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Muscly Milanese provided greatest moment in Italian tennis history when she victoriously rolled in the terre battue of Roland Garros, and she’s been rock-solid in Fed Cup play, but 30-year-old vet would be lucky to reach quarters in NYC.
AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA: Ashe Stadium is where Aga scored the breakout win of her career — a jarring upset of defending champ Maria Sharapova. But that was three years ago. Tricky Pole can drop shot, mix up the pace, play the slice, but she hasn’t won a title since ’08.
VERA ZVONAREVA: Russian’s unraveling (literally) against Flavia Pennetta is one of the ’09 USO’s must-see YouTube replays. But the Wimbledon finalist has of late proven that she’s capable of keeping her emotions in check.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Belarusian powerballer impressed with win over Maria Sharapova for the Stanford title, and of young twentysomethings (Wozniacki, Wickmayer, Radwanska, etc.), Vika may have best shot at first Slam.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: ’04 USO champ ended 10-month title drought in San Diego. Sveta’s got game, but her second-set implosion in final vs. Agnieszka Radwanska revealed a universe of self-doubt.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: A year and a half removed from surgery, Masha has abandoned her shoulder-saving service motion and is beginning to resemble the player who powered her way to three Slams. Has only one win over top-10 player in last 10 months, but the fire still burns.
MELANIE OUDIN: No one will shoulder more pressure in NY than the little-engine-that-could Georgian, who downed four Russians in her Cinderella run to the ’09 quarters. In the words of Maria Sharapova (one of Oudin’s victims last year), “I don’t think anyone can prepare her for the pressure but herself.”
ANA IVANOVIC: The freefalling former No. 1 has sadly fallen as low as No. 63 this year and is in dire need of a mid-career jumpstart. Says the Serb, “It really has to come from me, through myself.”
RAFAEL NADAL: Prevailing wisdom is that the Spaniard is simply fried by the time the USO rolls around; that his more-ferocious-than-anyone aggressiveness overtaxes his body. But ’10 might prove to be the year a healthy Rafa snares the one major missing from his Grand Slam resume.
ROGER FEDERER: The 29-year-old Swiss may not be the dominant force he once was, but Sir Roger, who now has Sampras sage Paul Annacone by his side, has won five of the last six USOs and is often at his best on the Ashe Stadium cement. Is Slam No. 17 out of reach for the proud papa of two?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Hard to believe the No. 2-ranked Serb hasn’t won a title since February (Dubai) and has yet to defeat a top-10 opponent in ’10. Is the ’08 Aussie Open titlist — a second-week regular — more than just a one-Slam wonder?
ANDY MURRAY: The Scot’s Aussie Open final and weight-of-a-nation run to the Wimbledon semis were impressive, but his best chance at his first Slam is on the hard courts of NYC, where he reached the ’08 final. Coachless after parting ways with Miles Maclagan, will Murray benefit from a streamlined entourage?
ANDY RODDICK: What’s up with A-Rod? Great Indian Wells and Miami results, then a shock loss at Wimbledon. Now what was once a strength — his conditioning — is a liability. Withdrew from Toronto and was being treated for undisclosed illness.
ROBIN SODERLING: The back-to-back French Open finalist just won’t go away. His ’09 USO quarterfinal was his best result in Flushing Meadows, but the steely Swede will need to improve his sub.-500 record against top-10 opponents.
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Hard to know what to expect from the enigmatic Russian, who earlier this year missed three months due to a fractured wrist. A two-time USO semifinalist, he has wins over the likes of Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer this year, but hasn’t won more than two consecutive matches since February.
TOMAS BERDYCH: With his run to his first-ever Slam final at Wimbledon (which included wins over Federer and Djokovic), the towering Czech finally looks as if he’s ready to deliver on the promise we’ve all seen since ’02.
JOHN ISNER: Marathon man is now synonymous with his three-day, 11-hour, 70-68 Wimbledon triumph, but it was his 7-6(3), 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6(5) USO upset of pal Andy Roddick last year that really put the former Georgia Bulldog on the map. A big man with plenty of fight, he likes the big moment.
SAM QUERREY: In Paris, he griped of defeatist thoughts and said he needed “to mentally get it together.” In L.A., he dubbed himself “Debbie Downer.” A 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-3 comeback against Andy Murray in the Farmers Classic final was just the kind of confidence boost he needed to help him sort through his issues.
MARIN CILIC: If you think this guy’s the second coming of Goran Ivanisevic you may be onto something. The talented 21-year-old big-man broke through to the ’09 USO quarters and earlier this year reached the Aussie Open semis.
DAVID NALBANDIAN: Don’t look now, but the cantankerous Argentine has returned from a two-month injury layoff with a vengeance. Ousted Marin Cilic and Marcos Baghdatis in winning Washington, becoming the only player ranked outside the top 100 to win an ATP title in ’10. The most dangerous floater in NYC.
MARDY FISH: Having shed 32 pounds and scored back-to-back wins in Newport and Atlanta, the ’08 quarterfinalist professes that he’s playing the best ball of his career.
JAMES BLAKE: At the tennis-old age of 30 and having fallen outside the top 100, the oft-injured Harvardian might be making his last appearance at the Open, where he’s provided many a thrill. (Remember his five-set clashes with Lleyton Hewitt, or the for-the-ages Agassi-Blake epic of ’05?) Catch him (and his boisterous J-Block) while you still can.
